Bobby Officially Almost Done in Chiba

by Patrick Newman (Jul 26, 2009)

In a blog post, Bobby Valentine has officially put the last nail in the coffin of any hopes that he'd return next year:

And most importantly, I came to feel that for me to
leave the team at the end of the 2009 season is best for the Shigemitsu
family and for the Chiba Lotte Marines, and so I wanted to make this
announcement about the decision as soon as possible.

[...]

Please view this announcement as my determination to make Chiba
Lotte Marines baseball fun once again, for our fans and for each member
of the team. I have always felt victory was shallow–and true victory
was impossible–if the attempt to gain it was not fun. This year has not
been fun for anyone who truly loves the Chiba Lotte Marines, so I will
make a renewed effort to make this 2009 season the most fun that it can
possibly be, and one that we will all remember and cherish for our
lifetimes.

Why make this announcement now, given that the team has already
announced that they aren't bringing him back? I suppose this is a way
for Bobby to make a statement on his own terms. It's also a message
that the fan-lead, grassroots efforts
to convince Lotte management to bring him back probably aren't going to
work, and that he just wants to focus on baseball for the rest of the
year.